


Unexpected Company

by orphan_account



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Vulnerability, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Major Spoilers, Ouma being slightly less of a douche, Spoilers, wholesome Shuichi for the soul
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-19 07:15:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13118748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Shuichi can't sleep after the 4th trial. After deciding to go for a midnight stroll to clear his mind, he finds Oma wandering around the school - and for better or worse, finds himself sharing a cup of tea with him at 2am in the morning.[MAJOR SPOILERS on the game's events up to Chapter 5]





	Unexpected Company

They didn't deserve to die.

 

_They didn't deserve to die._

 

Shuichi rolls over for the hundredth time, staring up at the ceiling of his room in the darkness. He had never been talented when it came to tackling difficult emotions, and even after four class trials, the pain of his friends' deaths weighs heavy as ever on his mind. Somehow, he thinks, it's a feeling that could never numb. Every time he closes his eyes and begins to drift off, intrusive thoughts drag him back to consciousness, and he jolts with a start. _You couldn't save Iruma or Gonta. Kaito is dying. What are you doing to help?_ his mind whispers, over and over. And, in a tragic moment of vulnerability: _Shouldn't you have joined them?_

The detective sits up with a jolt, pressing a hand against his forehead. There was no way that he'd be able to sleep like this. The alarm clock beside him read 1:37am in glowing, digital letters. It was as good a time as any to take a walk and clear his head after such a harrowing day.

He forces himself to get to his feet, and puts minimal effort into dressing enough to make himself somewhat presentable. He doubts there'll be anybody around at this hour, anyway. Shuichi cracks his door open just a little before leaving, however, his eyes scanning the area for somebody still awake, but is glad that the hallway to the dorm rooms is silent. It wasn't that he was doing anything suspicious, but he'd really rather not have to make conversation with anyone in such an emotionally dampened state.

Shuichi walks aimlessly, not caring in the slightest where he goes, as long as he's moving. The destination didn't matter, and he found himself wandering around the ground floor before ascending a few flights of stairs. Gonta's lab is on this floor, he thinks suddenly. He finds himself standing outside the Ultimate Entomologist's lab, clutching his hand to his chest and telling himself that he can't cry, not again. "I'm so sorry," he whispers. "You didn't deserve this."

\--

It was the first time he had visited an Ultimate Lab after a class trial since Kaede. Shuichi can't bring himself to enter, and so he stands outside, quietly mourning their losses.

The door swings open abruptly, and a lithe, petite body collides with him with considerable force, causing him to stumble backwards with an exclamation of surprise. The purple-haired boy in front of him briefly looks terrified for a split second, but he recovers himself far too quickly. "Well, if it isn't my beloved Saihara-chan~!" Oma grins, a wide, innocent smile across his face. "Did you come here so late at night to seduce me? I'm afraid I'm rather busy at the moment, so you'll have to try another time-"

"Oma." Shuichi moves slightly to block the boy's path, who had attempted to sidestep past him and scamper off. But Shuichi couldn't ignore the fact that Oma, the same person who had manipulated Gonta into murdering Miu and thereby caused his execution, had come out of his lab hours later. As much as it pained him to even look at the supreme leader, he couldn't allow him to slip by so easily. "What were you doing... in Gonta's lab?"

Oma opens his mouth as if he's about to reply with a cynical, witty remark, but he seems to think better of it, and closes it abruptly. Averting eye contact, he coldly states, "I wasn't doing anything suspicious if that's what you think, but feel free to look around if you don't believe me." He brushes past Shuichi, deliberately colliding with his shoulder as he does so.

The detective, however, stares at him. Judging from the state of his clothes, he hadn't been tossing and turning the way Shuichi had, but faint bags were forming under Oma's violet eyes. "You haven't slept?" He asks. If it were true, then it was unlikely Oma had returned to his dorm room after the trial - which led him to question what exactly the Supreme leader had been up to for the last couple of hours.

"Evidently, neither have you," Oma retorts, but the bite in his voice wasn't there. He didn't quite seem himself, as if he was devoid of all energy and mischief, the life in his attitude replaced by fatigue. His next words come out in a flat, serious tone. "Look, I will soon, so just leave me alone."

"No. I can't let you wander around the school after what happened today."

"Man, Saihara-chan is so persistent today!" Shuichi swears that he hears his voice waver. "That sort of persistence will get you killed." With that, the supreme leader turned on his heel. Instead of heading for the dorms, he makes a beeline for the stairway, and Shuichi quickly follows. Oma gives him a glare, but says nothing to argue. They walk in silence.

 --

Shuichi is surprised to discover that their next destination is the computer room. He flinches at the sight of the closed door, but tries to mentally ease his nerves.

Before entering, Oma turns around. There's a look in his eyes that Shuichi hasn't seen before; one of unfiltered emotion, and uncharacteristic sadness. The supreme leader speaks. "Two conditions. Firstly, you wait by the entrance. Secondly, we don't speak about what you see." Shuichi has no issue with either requests, and nods. If Oma was meddling, he wouldn't do it while Shuichi was in the room.

The first thing Shuichi thinks is, ' _Miu's body is gone... She and Gonta both are.'_

As Oma walks towards the computer in the centre of the room, Shuichi sees him dig around in his pockets and produce two items: ones that he clearly recognised from the Monomono Machine and Casino. A ladybug pin, and what looked to be a pink flower made for floromancy. Oma disappears behind the cube-like structure, and remains for several minutes - so long that Shuichi almost begins to worry, since the silence in the room is almost tangible. All that can be heard is the slight whirr of the working computers.

When he finally reappears, Oma's eyes are ever so slightly red and puffy.

_Oh, so that's what he was doing,_ Shuichi thinks.

 "I'm ready to go back to the dorms," the purple-haired boy states, turning to leave.

It suddenly dawns on Shuichi: no matter what he had done, Oma was hurting, just like the rest of them. But unlike him, he was isolated from the group, with nobody to confide in. Why hadn't Shuichi noticed his loneliness before?

"Ah, um... Oma?" He begins. "Would you like to... grab a cup of tea before heading back?"

The boy turns, and for a moment, the detective expects a reply like, " _Awh, my beloved Saihara-chan cares so much about me!"_ or " _Why should a supreme leader like myself spend time with a boring nobody like you? Well, I suppose I'll humour you for today!"_

Instead, all he gets is a one word answer: "Okay."

Somehow, that's more unsettling.

\--

Shuichi sets the tray down on the dining room table, where Oma waits patiently, his head propped up by an elbow. He stares at the wall straight ahead, eyes not focused on anything in particular. "Thanks."

"It certainly can't live up to the Ultimate Maid's tea, but..." Shuichi half-jokes, trying to lift the mood a little. "How are you holding up?"

Oma visibly bristles, sitting up in the chair as he begins to pile sugar into the cup until the tea threatens to spill over the edges. "I thought you told me I'm the type of person who will always be alone, right? I don't see why it matters."

"I... may have been harsh in what I said earlier," Shuichi concedes. "And... I don't think-"

"Let's not talk about the trial... Please."

"...Okay."

They sit in silence, occasionally sipping their tea. After a while, Oma begins to pick up sugar cubes with his fingers, crunching on them quietly.

"Oma... No matter what happens, you're still our classmate. And no matter what you may think, I  _do_ care about you. The others might think that everything you do is to oppose them, but... I know that there's a logic that drives your actions. Which is why I just can't believe you when you say you do what you do because you enjoy watching us suffer. I know that you're trying to isolate yourself from the group. So, if you ever need to talk, about any concerns you might have... You can confide in me." He closes his eyes and takes a breath. "Maybe we could've avoided casualties by talking things through."

Shuichi looks up, searching Oma's expression, but his face is a mix of numerous emotions. He seems touched.

"Thank you, Shuichi." He says eventually, "And I'm sorry. I know that Monokuma  _will_ find a way to continue this killing game. He'll do everything he can to whittle us down until there's just two left standing. But... I trust you. I'm really grateful for your words, and that's not a lie."

Shuichi offers him a warm smile, feeling his cheeks redden at the fact that Oma had just used his given name. Having said what he wanted to say, he packs up the now empty cups, and stands. "I'll clear these away for us."

\--

When Shuichi returns from the kitchen, Oma has already fallen fast asleep onto the table. He looks as peaceful as a lamb, as innocent as a sleeping child. As Shuichi gently picks him up to carry back to the dorms, he fails to notice the tears streaming down his face, only to disappear into the fabric of his checkered scarf.

**Author's Note:**

> This one-shot had been in the back of my mind for a while, but was written in one sitting, so I hope that the pacing's alright and that I did both Shuichi and Kokichi justice!
> 
> Just as a little trivia point, the ladybug brooch is actually one of the few items in the game that is liked by both Miu and Gonta, which was why Kokichi had it when he placed them in the computer room. The flower of floromancy is solely liked by Tenko, and was more of a gesture of respect, given there weren't really any other 'flower' substitutes he could use.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
